EDITOR’S note:

THIS year marks the 25th anniversary of Pudong New Area’s takeoff since opening-up of the area as an economic zone started in 1990. Pudong, literally the east bank of Huangpu River, has realized a drastic change from an impoverished swampy farmland into a prosperous modern urban and economic area. Sea changes are happening as Pudong is always at the forefront of reform and opening-up. Shanghai Daily is running a series of stories to record the area’s 25 years of development and new growth opportunities ahead.

PEOPLE wanted.

It was the advertisement 25 years ago for the Pudong New Area touting for a skilled labor force when it turned into a national development zone.

Today, Pudong is one of China's most attractive places for people who have a dream, and only those really capable can survive in the harsh competition here.

“Pudong has become an area where most talented people gather,” said Shen Xiaoming, Party secretary of the district. “It has the best professionals for business, for trade, for research and development and for government administration.”

Pudong was born as a pioneer and an innovator in many aspects, including in how to attract people. It has particular interest in professionals with unique strength and an international background.

Since 2007, Pudong has hosted events for seven consecutive years to encourage overseas Chinese with special achievements in science to have a look at the area in person. Earlier this year, a team led by Shen and recruiters from more than 50 companies traveled to Beijing to hire qualified scientists and researchers.

Professionals from near and afar have made Pudong their home — a place to realize their dreams for work and life.

According to official statistics, there are more than 200,000 people working in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park located in southern Pudong, and another 240,000 in the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, or China's counterpart of the Wall Street.

High-tech concentration

Among the many people with respectable educational background, Zhangjiang alone has 18 academicians accredited by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, where China’s top scientists and engineers are trained.

Also, 148 out of 1,000 people selected as core for China’s science and technology growth have settled down in Zhangjiang, along with over 13,000 Chinese who graduated overseas.

For 36-year-old Li Shuai, general manager of a bio-tech company established last year in Zhangjiang, his choice of Pudong is bold but worthwhile.

“I want to invent China’s first original drug in modern times, and Pudong makes it possible,” Li said.

In medical science, most researchers do their study in improving existing medicines and drugs. It is much more difficult to invent an entirely new drug, but this is the area that makes a medical company outstanding.

Before coming to Zhangjiang, Li worked in the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a researcher.

“Some people say that at least 5 million yuan (US$807,000) is required to start a pharmaceutical firm, and it has a glass ceiling to study original drug, but I find no ceilings here in Pudong,” Li said.

Medical science is a sector with an especially high threshold because of the strict demand for research equipment, environment and people.

But in Pudong, Li finds nearly everything he needs: from a 330-square-meter laboratory rented at half the market price, to the research equipment kept ready in the laboratory and availability of research fellows.

They are offered help by the Zhangjiang Biological Medicine Industry Incubator, a non-commercial entity set up by the Pudong government and the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission for scientists and doctors to start their own company.

In the incubator zone, some equipment is shared, and many services are offered at cost price to make it affordable for budget-tight entrepreneurs.

In less than a year, Li’s company has created more than 200 pharmaceutical compounds, which paves the way for him to invent his drug.

“With a bag and great ideas, you can start your business in Pudong,” Li said.

Pudong has the capacity for those with talent and dreams like Li.

In Shanghai’s drive to become a global science and technology center, Zhangjiang is the linchpin. It has over 150 global research and development centers, or nearly half of those in Shanghai, along with more than 400 such centers of national level.

Financial magnet

For many people, the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone is another dreamland.

Sitting on the east bank of the Huangpu River, Lujiazui has become a benchmark place for Shanghai with its many skyscrapers, including the Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Oriental Pearl Tower and Jin Mao Tower.

It is also a highland for people.

According to official data, there are more than 280,000 financial professionals working in Pudong, Lujiazui in particular, and most of them are well-educated young people.

“Humans are the most valuable asset for social progress and company development,” said Jian Danian, deputy head of the Pudong New Area. “It is especially true for the financial sector, which has very big appetite for people due to its knowledge-intensive nature.”

Lujiazui is a zone with a crazy demand for talented people ... it remains so although the place has become a magnet for professionals, Jian said.

To attract people, Lujiazui has provided accommodation services since 2012 so that young professionals can live nearby without having to worry about expensive housing costs. The policy has been a success.

The same housing policy is also practiced in Zhangjiang, which also set up lodging space for young people where the average housing costs are only 1,000 yuan per month.

The days are long gone when “a bed in Puxi was better than a house in Pudong.” Indeed, Pudong has been a paradise for talented professionals.

Some people say it is a pity that with such good infrastructure, Pudong has not found a person as successful as Jack Ma, founder of the Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group, in the past 25 years.

“But Pudong has the potential,” Party chief Shen said.

“As chief of the district, I want to ensure a fair and transparent environment with dynamics for all people, and it is possible that future (entrepreneurs) in the caliber of Jack Ma are just around us,” Shen said optimistically.